ON THE WHITE SOX.

Back to the drawing board, ASAP

September 30, 2003|By Teddy Greenstein.

There was a point Monday when White Sox general manager Ken Williams said he would be wise to take a few days to clear his mind.

"Sometimes when you do that, you see a new perspective," he said after firing manager Jerry Manuel. "There's still a lot of disappointment around here. For me, there's a heartache. So you need to step back from it."

OK, so when will Williams start making calls to managerial candidates?

"Probably [Tuesday]," he replied.

So at least the heartache isn't permanent.

Williams wouldn't specify which qualities matter most to him in a prospective manager or, for that matter, which names could attract him.

Will it be a voice of experience, such as Cito Gaston or Jim Fregosi? A first-timer, such as Wally Backman or Ozzie Guillen? How about a former manager who once worked in the Sox's minor-league system, such as Terry Francona or Buddy Bell?

Williams offered little, other than when he responded to a question about whether he feels pressure to bring in a high-profile manager to counter the Cubs' hiring of Dusty Baker.

"You can't fall into that trap," he said. "You have to get the best guy available for your situation. [But] if there were a Dusty Jr. out there, he would be the target."

What's clear after Monday's announcement is that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa won't be a target. And not just because La Russa reiterated Monday that he'll remain in St. Louis for the final year of his contract.

Here's another reason: Williams opted to retain Manuel's entire coaching staff minus third-base coach Bruce Kimm, an easy target because he had joined the organization less than a year ago.

That surely would knock out La Russa, whose pitching coach, Dave Duncan, has been his right-hand man since 1986.

And it narrows the field of candidates to those who would agree to bring in only one coach.

"I have a lot of confidence in the coaches," Williams said, "and sometimes you have to exercise your executive rights."

It would not appear, though, to hurt the Sox's chances of hiring Gaston, whom many see as the early favorite.

Gaston has been in the mix over the last four years for managerial jobs in Cleveland, Milwaukee and Anaheim. But for reasons that remain elusive, he hasn't managed since 1997 despite having guided the Blue Jays to World Series titles in 1992 and '93.

The 59-year-old Gaston, who lives in Florida, has another plus on his side: He was Williams' manager in 1990-91. Williams said he last spoke to Gaston about a year ago when the Sox were in Toronto.

"Cito's a good man," Williams said. "He deserves to be managing somewhere. Whether or not this is the right place for him, I don't know."

Does Williams hold him in high esteem?

"Absolutely," he replied. "The man has won two World Series. He deserves to be back out there. It's a shame that he hasn't been back out there since then. But part of that was his choice at one particular time."

Roberto Alomar, who starred for the Blue Jays from 1991 to 1995, can't speak highly enough of Gaston. Alomar recalled how Gaston never would embarrass a player publicly. But if he saw a mental mistake, that player would have to explain himself in the manager's office.

"He's like a dad to me, he meant so much," Alomar said Saturday.

Williams said previous managing experience was a plus but not a must.

That might open the door for the 39-year-old Guillen, who's in his third season as Florida's third-base coach.

Guillen told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Monday that he would relish the chance to return to the South Side, where he played from 1985 to 1997.

"I have two things in my favor, the fans and the media," Guillen said.

"The owner [Jerry Reinsdorf] would be [backing me]. What I'd need are the players who could do the job and a good coaching staff."